Lamazou

"Years ago, when I lived in the neighborhood, I wandered into this nondescript cheese shop and ordered a sandwich off the list. I quickly realized that what I held in my hand was a perfectly assembled fistful of cured meat, cheese and bread that would be the start of a long and fulfilling relationship with Lamazou. From that day forward, this place was a three day a week meal stop, and over the years I managed to eat my way through damn near everything in the deli case. What you'll find at Lamazou is not only an incredible selection of cheeses (there is a cheese cave in the basement), but also various high quality cured meats. Both selections are incredible in their own right, but the real magic comes when the two are combined to make bomb ass sandwiches. Aziz is always happy to recommend something from the menu, and he'll also point you in the direction of what goodness in the cheese case is particularly off the hook...whether you ask or not. That's exactly the kind of personality and passion that makes this place amazing. Also present are various imported snacks and candies from around the world that I can neither pronounce or identify, but they're all interesting and tasty. Especially Taytos. Thanks England for giving me a way to order your potato chips without having to say the word "crisps". Food Rundown Milano A simple and delicious sandwich of salami, turkey breast, and provolone. The genius comes from the mind blowing quality of each. Across the board, we recommend the crusty ciabatta as the vehicle. Caprice de Lamazou Perfect for the summer, this is a light and tasty sandwich with smoked salmon, lemon, capers and cornichons. As a matter of fact, we back anything on this menu with cornichons. Italico Similar to the Milano, but with a delicious mortadella. Troubador Imported chorizo and manchengo. We're big fans of manchengo cheese, and well, Spain in general. One of our favorites. Butterfly A thick black pepper pate is spread on ciabatta with butter and those awesome cornichons. This is next level, and not something we could have in any regular rotation, but it's good. Soups You can usually find two homemade soups at Lamazou daily. We love the potato leek. Honestly, they're all pretty great, and you should ask about them." - Chris Stang

"Lamazou has been one of our favorites since the days before The Infatuation existed, or what we call “the dark times.” Walk in and have them make you a sandwich with whatever they’re feeling that day, or order from their list of preselected options. Know that Lamazou does get busy for lunch and that you’re likely to confront a line if you’re hitting it during peak daytime hours. It’s not our little secret anymore. That may be our fault." - simona sudit

"For a sandwich shop that imports European cheese: The stretch of Third Avenue between East 26th and East 27th streets seems to be eternally under construction, but hidden under all that scaffolding is one of the Flatiron District’s most special sandwich shops. The inside of Lamazou can look and feel a bit like your parent’s garage, cluttered with things that you didn’t know you were looking for but now can’t live without. It’s a place where you can buy affordable European cheeses, cured meat by the pound, and a memorable sandwich that brings the best of both of those worlds together on a hefty baguette. Lamazou has more than 20 sandwiches on its menu, but the Troubador — stacked with imported Spanish chorizo, manchego cheese, and hot red peppers — is a great place to start." - Eater Staff